Verizon Charges You For NOT Making Long-Distance Calls

By Ben PopkenMarch 18, 2009

Call it a “you’re not making us enough money” fee. If you don’t make at least 12.5 minutes of long-distance calls, Verizon is assessing some home phone customers a $3.49/month “shortfall charge.” If you want to get rid of the fee, you can, but you’ll have to pay a one-time $5.50 fee. Verizon told KING5, “that even if a person doesn’t make long-distance calls, they still have access to the phone network. The “shortfall charge” helps pay for maintenance of the network.” What a crock.